Charter Fitness - Membership Review from Des Plaines, Illinois

I've been with them for years and I've spent thousands (yes thousands) on personal training. I purchase bulk sessions and workout with a trainer. I love my trainer she's amazing, I love the challenging workouts and I love the results. I love my gym and i love the staff. In September of 2015 I worked out with my friend for fun at Cardinal location in Des plaines. I have basic membership at my gym (charter) so I can only workout at my location, mind you. But she has premium so I was able to workout at her location that one day. I walked in with the intention of just doing some light tricep workouts on my own but the branch manager David Nardi INSISTED I do a free trial session of team training. I thought hey it's a free session, why not. He had me sign on a pinpad which was EXTREMELY misleading because again, I workout at my home gym, I told him about my trainer, and he made it so that I was only signing up for that free session that one day. Hadn't returned to that gym since. Then, starting November 27th I start getting charged for team training every week. I hadn't noticed this till December 24th. So I called the gym and Dave just kept reiterating that "well you're the one who signed up" which again, I didn't sign up for that. I signed up for my one free session. It isn't even logical that I would drive farther away to a second gym for a service I'm already paying for at my home gym. And excuse me, I thought I wasn't even eligible to workout at other locations under basic membership? However when he kept saying "well you signed up" and rudely and abruptly hung up on me, i called back and he had someone else answer the phone. I was told that i would have to go into the gym and sign a cancellation form. Which I did, and two weeks later I'm still being charged. So I reached out and called again and Dave has been very obviously avoiding me because when I called back and asked for Dave the person said sure let me get him for u and when he asked me my name he just stuttered and said sorry Dave isn't in. These are the kind of games that they are playing. Furthermore when I walked into the location again today to ask about the charges, due to all the incorrect information that Dave had been giving me I wanted to Audio record him but he refused to speak until I switched my phone off. He then proceeded to tell me that the branch cameras haven't worked in years either so he can't show me proof to his claims. Also he kept walking away while I was speaking to him leaving me dumbfounded. Again, I have never had such a horrible experience. I am happy at my gym which is charter in park ridge. I have no complaints and I pay a lot and all my payments are made in time. What David Nardi is doing is fraudulent and a scam. I want the rest of the payments stopped because I didn't sign up for training sessions at a second gym when I'm clearly paying for them at my home gym, and I want a refund on the bogus payments that were charged on my account. I will keep reaching out and getting more and more people involved (including the better business bureau) until this issue is resolved and I have a refund.

Reviewer is in unhappy mood. Please immediately contact the author of this review to discuss problems with payment of charter fitness membership. Charter Fitness needs to read this review and look into the issue (if any) according to poster's claims.

Terms of Service

I was also hung up on by the manager at the Park Ridge location. He did not even KNOW the companies contract. I had to read it to him. I sat on the phone in silence while he tried to process it!

I have already filed with the BBB. Make sure you tie Cardinal Fitness with Charter Fitness on BBB. Refused to let me cancel a trial within the rules outlined in the contract and IL law. Good luck to you!

So frustrating!I hope the owners read these posts!

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Anonymous

AnonymousJan 18, 2016#1096920

unfortunately a lot of these broad-scope chain gyms use tactics like this, or make it extremely inconvenient for you to cancel, in the hopes that they can milk you for a little more money.These gyms are run by a financial institution (ABC, which runs multiple gyms under different names across the country).

I'm not sure if branch managers get some type of incentive for signing people up, but that's what it sounds like. I'm like the other person who posted before me, did you give over some type of payment for this free session? That would have been a red flag to me and would have explicitly asked if this was to be free. If anything in the paper you signed mentioned a payment, fee, free - anything.

I would have questioned it.Have you tried contacting ABC Financial directly, or your bank to stop payments?

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AnonymousFeb 14, 2016#1111936

ABC does not own the gym, it's just the billing company.

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AnonymousJan 09, 2016#1091433

What I don't understand is, why would you give him your credit card info if you believed you were only signing up for that day's free session?